The road to Russia will be long and arduous
It had been long expected but now it has been confirmed that the Republic of Ireland will be placed among the fourth seeds for next month’s qualifier draw for the 2018 World Cup.
The seedings will be based on the next set of Fifa world rankings and Ireland’s recent decline – they were 60th at the last count and draws against Scotland and England this month will not move them up sufficiently to improve their standing amongst European nations when the list is next updated on July 9 – means they will have it all to do to get a sniff of a first World Cup in 16 years.
ESPN have done all the sums, and reveal that Pot 4 will also be home to Turkey, Israel, Norway and Bulgaria, so we’re not alone in feeling a bit sorry for ourselves, but at least we will avoid any tricky trips to Torshavn as we are also grouped with the rising stars of European football, the Faroe Islands, who this weekend completed a remarkable Euro 2016 double with a win over Greece.
There are plenty of other big changes to the status quo, with Wales rewarded for their remarkable form by making the jump to Pot 1 alongside the giants of European football. Romania have also joined the top tier, meaning that there will be some big names to avoid from Pot 2.
Italy must beat Portugal in a friendly tomorrow to remain in a top seed, while France and Switzerland are already certain to be in the second tier, while the third pot is nearly as tricky, with Poland, Sweden and Greece joining Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Pot 1: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, Croatia/Italy
Pot 2: Croatia/Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Denmark, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Pot 3: Poland, Ukraine, Scotland, Hungary, Sweden, Albania, N Ireland, Serbia, Greece
Pot 4: Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Estonia
Pot 5: Cyprus, Latvia, Armenia, Finland, Belarus, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova
Pot 6: Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Andorra
The draw takes place in St Petersburg on July 25, and we reckon these would be Ireland’s best and worse case scenarios:
Best case:
Wales
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Albania
Republic of Ireland
Moldova
San Marino
Worst case:
Germany
Italy
Poland
Republic of Ireland
Armenia
Georgia
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